Rotating vane machines



1, 1966 R. RAUFEVISEN ETAL 3,282,222

ROTATING VANE MACHINES Filed Oct. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 FIG] INVENTORS MARVIN PETER SCHWARTZ ROBERT RAUFEISEN ATTORNEY 1, 1956 R. RAUFEISEN ETAL 3,232,222

ROTATING VANE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 13, 1964 INVENTORS MARVIN PETER SCHWARTZ RO BERT RAUFEISEN AT TO RNEY United States Patent 3,282,222 IRQTATING JANE MACHINES Robert Raufeisen, Barrington, and Marvin Peter Schwartz,

Arlington Heights, 111., assignors to International Telephone and Telegraph, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland Filed Oct. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 493,552 1 Claim. (61. 103-418) This invention relates generally to rotating vane machines, and has particular reference to an improved machine which can be detachably mounted on a prime mover, and constructed so as to require a minimum of close tolerances, and yet to provide extremely good operating characteristics.

The invention is described in an environment consisting of a prime mover adapted to support and drive a rotating vane device such as a compressor-vacuum pump.

One of the problems attendant upon the mounting of a driven component such as a vane-type compressor upon a prime mover such as an electric motor is that of the binding of the rotor of the driven machine by reason of the prime mover shaft not running properly on its center. Another problem is that of proper positioning of the rotor within the eccentric cavity swept by the vanes, and the maintenance of proper end clearances of the rotor when the prime mover shaft is not running true. It is to the obviation of the aforesaid difliculties that this invention is particularly directed.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide structure for mounting a rotary vane type machine on a prime mover, and to accommodate the irregularities of shaft rotation of the prime mover, so that there will be no binding of the vane rotor when the assembly is mounted on the prime mover.

Another object is to provide in a rotating vane type of machine, structure for adjustably mounting an end bell of the machine to the prime mover, and for adjusting the position of a body member having an eccentric cavity therein to the end bell for the proper positioning of the rotor Within such eccentric cavity, and to accommodate the irregularities of shaft movement of the prime mover, so that the rotor may properly be driven within the eccentric cavity.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparent from a study of the following specification taken with the drawin s which together describe and illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and what is now considered to be the best mode of practicing the principles thereof. Other embodiments may be suggested to those having the benefit of the teachings herein, and such embodiments are intended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope and purview of the subjoined claim.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a prime mover having a rotating vane machine mounted thereon and driven thereby, said rotating vane machine having the improvements according to the present invention embodied therein;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational View of the rotating vane machine seen in FIG. 1, said View looking in the direction of the arrows 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 55 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the rotating vane machine having the improvements according to the present invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral 10, and is shown in situ for the driving thereof from a prime mover 11 having a base 12 upon which it is supported. As shown in FIG. 1, prime mover 11 may be a conventional fractional horsepower motor having an end bell 13 which is coterminous with an annular flange extension 14 having a bearing therein, not shown, for the support of a driven shaft 16 driven by the prime mover 11.

The rotating vane machine It is adapted to be mounted on an annular flange 14, and includes a rotor 17 having a plurality of slots 18 therein located on chords to the center of rotation of the driven shaft 16. The rotor 17 is fast to the shaft 16 by means of a key 19 engaged in a slot 21 on the shaft 16 and in a key way 22 on rotor 17.

Each of the slots 18 is adapted to receive a vane 23 made of carbon or similar material having good selflu'bricating qualities. Vanes 23 are urged centrifugally into contact with a cylindrical surface 24 of a cavity 26 Within a central body member 27, the center of the cavity 26 being eccentric to the shaft 16, so that upon rotation of the shaft 16 and the rotor 17 in the direction seen in FIG. 3, the blades 23 will move axially in and out of their respective slots 18, all the while tips 23 thereof being in contact with the cylindrical surface 24.

In the embodiment seen with respect to the drawings, the rotating vane machine 10 is shown as a compressor, and has an intake or suction port 29 to the cavity 26, the intake port 29 being continuous with additional port area 31 to give good volumetric efliciency as the vanes 23 turnwith the rotor 17. The body member 27 also has an outlet port 32, and the gas which is compressed between the adjacent vanes 23 by reason of the decreasing volume swept thereby as the rotor turns in the direction shown exits from body member 27 by the outlet 32.

A lapping land 33 between the inlet port 29 and the outlet port 32 is in contact with one of the blades 23 as it reaches the end of its compressed fluid delivering movement. At other times the surface of the rotor 17 is spaced but a very small distance from the surface of the land 23, there being a clearance afforded of the order of .001" to .002", this very small clearance being necessary for the free turning of the rotor 17, yet not causing any appreciable losses from the compression or exhaust side to the intake or suction side.

It should be understood that any clearances described are merely illustrative, and will vary in accordance with the parameters of the structure.

The rotor 17 is adapted to turn between carbon thrust faces 34 and 36, these faces being in close contact with the rotor ends to prevent leakage around the ends thereof. Thrust faces of materials other than carbon may be employed, and the nature of the material forming the thrust face is of no particular significance in this invention. Thrust face 34 is held in an inner end member 37 having a bore 35 in the end thereof to enable inner end memher to be placed on flange 14 and to be secured thereto in a manner as will be described, and constituting an important feature of the invention. Likewise, thrust face 36 is held in an outer end member 38, the two members 37 and 38 being held together with the body member 27 therebetween by means of long cap screws 39 threaded at 41 to the end member 37 and having heads 40 bearing against outer end member 38.

In forming the thrust faces 34 and 36 in the respective end members 37 and 38, in each case they are placed in a recess 42, and the wearing surface of the thrust faces 34 and 36 are made coextensive and coplanar with the members 37 and 38, as for example, in a surface grinding operation.

The mode of assembling the rotor vane unit 10, and the mode of mounting the same on the flange 14 of the prime mover 11 constitute important features of the invention, and referring now particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the inner end member 37 is drilled and tapped radially to receive at each such drilled and tapped point a set secrew 44 having a. conical end 46 adapted to be received in an annular V-groove 47 formed on the end annular flange 14. When the end member 37 is thus placed on flange 14, and properly located radially thereon, the rotor 17 is then secured to shaft 16 by the key 19. In so doing the rotor 17 is brought against the carbon wear element 34 mounted in end member 37.

Body member 27 is next located on the end member so as to afford a proper running clearance between the rotor 17 and 'the land 33 of body member 27 and between the inlet part 29 and outlet part 3 2. This is done by inserting a feeler of .001" to .002 thickness between rotor 17 and land 33, and at a point along the surface of rotor 17 between adjacent vanes 23.

The aforesaid position of rotor 17 with respect to land 33 is maintained by'pilot screws 48, see FIG. 5, having heads 50 which are countersunk at 49 in the body member 27 and tapped at 51 int-o inner end member 37. Each of the pilot screws 48 extends through a bore 52 in body member 27, pilot screw 48 fitting somewhat loosely therein, so that body member 27 may be adjusted with respect to inner end member 37 to provide the small running clearance described.

By suitably varying the setting of the screws 44 and pilot screws 48 the position of the rotor 17 in the cavity 26 and the clearance thereof with respect to the land 33 can properly be made.

One of the important features of the invention resides in accommodation of wobble of the shaft 16 without disturbing the rotation of rotor 17 yet at the same time maintaining the proper running clearances within body member 27 and between the end members 37 and 38. To this end rotor 17 is taper bored as seen in FIG. 1 to provide a pair of tapered bores 53 and 54 with their larger diameters at the ends of the rotor, the smaller inner ends of bores 53 and 54 intersecting along a common land 56. Alternately, the bores 53 and 54 may be so formed as to have a smooth connecting surface of revolution at their inner ends. In lieu of taper boring, the bores 53 and 54 may be of a constant diameter to be separated by a land of smaller diameter at the key 19.

Irrespective of manner of forming the bore or bores in rotor 17, and the contour of any land or surface of revolution therebetween they are designed to enable rotor 17 to have a minimum of wobble movement, and to run with substantially constant clearance between the faces 34 and 36.

Such constant clearance between the faces 34 and 36 is also maintained without the need for shims or other adjusting means. The longitudinal dimension of body member 27, for example, is accordingly made .001 to .002 greater than the longitudinal dimension of rotor 17, so that when outer end member 38 is held to body member 27 by the screws 39 tapped into inner end member 27 the proper end clearances for the rotor will be maintained. The rot-or 17 can thus float endwise of itself independent of motor shaft irregularities. In such movement of rotor 17 it is not necessary to lock the rotor and its driving shaft together to maintain the proper end clearances.

From the description foregoing it is believed evident that some new and useful improvements in rotating vane providing for proper running clearances in the driven machine. By the structure disclosed it is possible readily to mount the machine to the prime mover, check the proper running clearances, and complete the assembly with a minimum of adjustment. Moreover, the assembly shown and described permits of ready field interchangeability of the driven unit with its driving prime mover.

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, the subject matter regarded as being patentable is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it being understood that equivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of the above specifically described embodiment may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in what is claimed.

We claim:

The improvements in the combination of a prime mover and a pump driven thereby and mounted thereon, where said prime mover has a protruding shaft support with a driving shaft protruding from said protruding shaft support, an inner end member for said pump adapted to be adjustably mounted on said protruding shaft support with said protruding shaft extending therethrough, a plurality of radially mounted threated adjusting means held in said inner end member and adapted to bear against said bearing support for adjustment of the position of said inner end member, a pump rotor mounted on that portion of the driving shaft extending beyond said inner body member and turning therewith, a key conmeeting said shaft to said rotor, said rotor having a bore therein of larger diameter than the diameter of said driving shaft except for a surface of revolution of small length located at the connection of said driving shaft to said rotor at said key, a central body member having a cavity therein for said rotor, a plurality of bores in said central body member extending parallel to the axis of said driving shaft, screws of smaller diameter than said bores for holding said central body member to said inner end member and providing for adjustment of said central body member with respect to said inner end member in directions transverse to the axis of rotation of said rotor to provide proper clearance of said rotor with respect to a land in the wall of said cavity, and an outer end member adapted to be secured to said inner body member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 940,246 11/ 1909 Hagerty 103136 1,082,183 12/1913 .Vernon 230-139 2,253,597 8/1941 Wyne 1031l8 2,622,529 12/1952 Parsons 103-118 2,666,395 1/1954 Hartwell 1031 18 3,183,843 5/1965 Cockbum 103136 FOREIGN PATENTS 412,809 7/1934 Great Britain.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner.

MARK NEWMAN, Examiner.

R. M. VARGO, Assistant Examiner. v l 

